Sally Crabtree

A drawing by Sally Crabtree

The Navigator interviewed Lewis Williams (‘24) with Sally Crabtree (’24), Hazel Gleason (’24), and Olyn Koehler Raleigh (‘24) about jazz. 

The Navigator (TN): Have you seen La La Land?

Lewis Williams (LW): Yes.

TN: Do you believe jazz is dying?

LW: Jazz is not dying, it’s awakening.

TN: What instrument do you play?

LW: I play upright and electric bass.

TN: What’s your favorite thing about playing bass?

LW: I like playing bass. It is fun to play with other people. I love playing with my jazz combo. I don’t really like playing alone. Ask me about my jazz combo!

TN: What do you do in your jazz combo?

LW: We play jazz for concerts, grad parties, and other gigs for money.

Hazel Gleason (HG): He is only in it for the money!

TH: Who is in your combo?

LW: Calvin Riebel (’24) on drums, Jacob Edwards (’24) on guitar, Luca Cavalletti (’25) on saxophone, Reese Joshi (’25) on piano, Oscar Smith (’24) on clarinet, and Matthew Hess (’26) on tenor saxophone.

Sally Crabtree (SC): If Jacob Edwards and Oscar Smith were dangling off a cliff and you can only save one, who would you choose to save?

LW: If they were dangling off a cliff I would save Jacob Edwards because I think Oscar Smith could maybe pull himself up and he has glasses.

TN: Around the school I heard Luca Cavalletti can only play bebop licks, is that true?

LW: Yeah, Luca Cavalletti can only play bebop licks.

TN: What is your favorite jazz song?

LW: “Lonely Woman” by Ornette Coleman

TH: Why?

LW: It is the first song on the album The Shape of Jazz to Come by Ornette Coleman, and was crucial in shaping the genre of free jazz to be what it is today.

Olyn Koehler Raleigh (OKR): Who do you think is the most influential jazz musician?

LW: I think Miles Davis was the most influential, because he had been at the forefront of so many subgenres of jazz for 60 years.

OKR: Who is Miles Davis?

LW: He’s a trumpeter.

SC: Would you say trumpet is the best instrument?

LW: My favorite instrument besides bass is tenor saxophone, it sounds truly beautiful.

TN: Do you ever hate jazz?

LW: Not really. 

TN: Do you ever hear jazz and think to yourself “Ew, I wish this would turn off”?

LW: Yes, yes, sometimes.

TN: Me too.